Contents

A Festival of Thanksgiving:
Thank Offering 2014

Richard R. Gerber

They Call Me the Miracle Man

Dan Dillard

Christian Education

Reformed Worship: Introducing Glen Clary

Foreign Missions

The Grace of God in Our Lives and Work

Home Missions

Growth in Minnesota

The Lord Directs

Stewardship

Needed: A Strong Thank Offering

Prayer Calendar

November

News

Reviews

Announcements

New Horizons
in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
November 2014 • Volume 35, Number 10

© 2014 by The Committee on Christian Education of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Editorial Board: The Committee on Christian Education’s Subcommittee on Serial Publications

Editor: Danny E. Olinger

Managing Editor: James W. Scott

Editorial Assistant: Patricia Clawson

Cover Designer: Christopher Tobias

Proofreader: Sarah J. Pederson

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Articles previously published may have been slightly edited.

New Horizons (ISSN: 0199-3518) is published monthly except for a combined issue in August-September by the Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Road, Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539; tel. 215/830-0900; fax 215/830-0350.

Send e-mail correspondence to the editor. Letters to the editor are welcome. They should deal with an issue the magazine has recently addressed. Their language should be temperate, and they may not charge anyone with an offense. They should be brief, and they may be condensed.

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Attending the meeting of the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension in September (from the left): Jerold Barnett, John Mauldin, Mark Sallade, Jerry Taylor, John Currie, Mark Brown, Dale Van Dyke, John Hilbelink (president), Gary Hoogerhyde, John Shaw (general secretary), Keith LeMahieu, Dick Gerber (associate general secretary), Jim Van Dam, Don Poundstone, Greg De Jong, and Larry Mininger (absent: Jeff Landis)

A Festival of Thanksgiving:
Thank Offering 2014

Richard R. Gerber

The crowds are overwhelming. TV coverage shows stadiums around the world filled to overflowing. Public spaces in cities and small towns across the world are filled with people.

The mood is exuberant. Faces are lifted heavenward, and they beam with gladness. The air rings with loud, joyous cries. Songs erupt.

The multitudes have gathered in response to God’s call:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing! (Ps. 100:1–2)

The crowds are worshipping the Lord.

“The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations” (Ps. 98:2). The Lord poured out his Spirit on the earth in torrents. His messengers were received with eager ears. And his people were being pressed repeatedly with the question, “Why are you so full of hope and joy?”

The earth has come to know that the Lord is God. The people of the world have come to see that all their gods are worthless. They are the figment of the imagination, a desperate attempt to make sense of life.

The Lord is truly God. He is humanity’s Creator—the one who formed the first man and woman, and the one who still forms each person. Every individual can say, “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Ps. 139:13). As humanity’s Creator, he has a right to call for the worship, service, and gratitude of everyone in every place in every age.

In rebellion, the multitudes spurned him. They boasted of how they crushed God’s covenant people. They proudly declared that they are the masters of their own destinies.

But now they are told:

Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Ps. 100:3)

The people of the world heard that the Lord, Jehovah, “comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness” (Ps. 96:13). Terror overwhelmed them. Knowledge of the Most High left them seeking escape.

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, grace relieved their fears:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16–18)

Through the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, they became sheep of the Lord’s pasture. Through Jesus Christ, these enemies were made objects of his covenant love and faithfulness. Now they say with all the spiritual heirs of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “He is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Ps. 95:7).

The crowds, whose loud, joyous cries ring across the face of the earth, are those who have heard the call to “serve the Lord with gladness!” In Christ, they “enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise” (Ps. 100:4). They are giving the Lord thanks and blessing his name.

Thankfulness is a response to the mercies of the Lord. Thankfulness is a response to the gift of his only begotten Son—to being saved from condemnation and eternal punishment, to being made one of his covenant people. Thankfulness is a response to the eternal life you have in Christ Jesus—to being united to Christ and receiving every heavenly blessing in him.

Blessing his name is a response to the glory of God in and of himself. Give him glory, for he is good. The good he does flows out of his very nature. There is nothing evil, nothing tainted, in him. Bless his name! He is the covenant-making and covenant-keeping Lord. “His steadfast love endures forever” (Ps. 100:5). It never wavers; it never falters. His loving-kindness and faithfulness are always and forever. Bless his name!

The people of the earth have already begun to be gathered in a festival of joyful, thankful worship of Jehovah. Every Lord’s Day, the Lord’s people gather with gladness in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and New York. In Seoul, Jakarta, Beijing, and Hong Kong. In San Juan, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City. In Lagos, Cairo, and Casablanca. Among the gathered are some who are still strangers to his grace. But cities and towns without glad worship of the Lord are too numerous. Multitudes are still in rebellion, waiting for torrents of grace to fill their land.

The Thank Offering

We who know that “the Lord is good,” that “his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Ps. 100:5), live in obedience to the commission to proclaim repentance and remission of sin in Jesus’ name to all nations. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church seeks to do so in the power of his Spirit who was poured out on the Day of Pentecost.

Through your gifts to Worldwide Outreach during the year and the Thank Offering at the end of the year, the Committee on Foreign Missions has sent gospel heralds to five continents.

You have been praying for those sent—the Richlines, the Cummingses, the McCabes, the Hopps, the Westervelds, the Okkens, the Hacquebords, the Tricaricos, the Lauers, the Curtos, the Wrights, the Foltas, the Knoxes, the Yaegashis, the Tuiningas, the Farniks, the Wingards, and Miss Lee. And there have been handfuls of missionary associates serving short-term. They are laboring in major cities and little villages to establish the worship of God.

Through your gifts to Worldwide Outreach and the Thank Offering, the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension has assisted every presbytery in 2014 with the development of new churches.

Forty-three mission works from Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to New York City, to Lander, Wyoming, to West Lebanon, New Hampshire, to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Seattle, Washington, to Hartwell, Georgia, to Anaheim Hills, California, to Houston, Texas, have received financial assistance to support the ministry of an organizing pastor and have been bathed in the prayers of the church. Eight presbyteries have received assistance to have the services of a regional home missionary.

Worship at New City Fellowship in Grand Rapids, Mich., an OP mission work

Through your gifts to Worldwide Outreach and the Thank Offering, the Committee on Christian Education oversees the ministry of OPC.org. Over three million pages of information from the site were downloaded in 2013. Over one million of those went to nations other than the United States and Canada. Every month over five thousand unique visitors come to OPC.org.

The CCE also publishes and assists in publishing literature to aid local churches in their educational ministries. The training of pastors—present and future—has been a large part of the CCE’s ministry. It assisted eighteen churches to mentor yearlong pastoral interns in 2013–2014 and thirteen churches to have summer interns in 2014.

The Thank Offering of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a faith-based act looking for a greater festival of thanksgiving yet to come. Your Thank Offering to the Lord who redeemed you by grace through Jesus Christ enables the OPC to continue sending heralds of Jesus Christ near and far.

As you worship the Lord with gladness and singing over the next weeks, reflect on all the reasons you have for giving thanks to the Lord and consider what your Thank Offering will be. In response to his abounding, sacrificial love that you have received, make a thankful and generous gift to the Lord through the Thank Offering.

The goal this year is $950,000. Every dollar is needed to herald Christ and teach all that he commanded in anticipation of an even greater festival of thanksgiving.

The author is the associate general secretary of the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension.

They Call Me the Miracle Man

Dan Dillard

It is strange to write about a life-changing experience that I cannot remember. However, I am told that around 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2013, I was riding my Harley home from the church to lead a Bible study at our house when a car turned and hit me broadside on my left. Then began a series of extraordinary providences of our Lord.

Dan Dillard on his Harley before his accident

Ordinarily a person with the injuries I sustained would have bled to death within minutes on the scene, but somehow I didn’t. Many months later I learned that a young woman was present at the scene, praying for me. God heard her prayers!

Shortly after I arrived at the St. Charles Medical Center’s emergency room, my wife Sharon and some dear friends arrived. The doctors had bad news: I had many injuries, the most serious being a torn aorta, a shattered pelvis, and a football-sized pelvic wound. They didn’t know whether I would live. (I learned later that they had never seen anyone survive such severe injuries.)

But somehow, by God’s amazing grace, those amazing surgeons put me back together! I believe that the somehow was the pastors and the other brothers and sisters in Christ from our church and many other churches who began pouring into the hospital to join Sharon and the others who were praying for me.

But then I got an out-of-control infection. The doctors, with long faces, told Sharon that I was dying. But the word went out, and soon the place was crowded with people interceding for my life—and the Lord brought healing! The doctors and staff were amazed at all the people who came to pray and at the results of those prayers.

The young man who ran into me came to Sharon at the ICU in tears. She spoke to him of God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ, and he professed his faith. Hallelujah! Please join us in praying for his perseverance and growth in Christ.

As I slowly regained awareness during October, I knew something was seriously wrong, but what it was I couldn’t say. Everything seemed to be in a sort of dark-hued dream state. I remember having an awareness that I am God’s servant and that he is with me, and that comforted me and gave me peace. I remember at one point thinking that I was dying, so I decided to preach until God took me home. Many weeks later a nurse told me that one night during that time I preached all night long!

A Long Recovery Begins

When I regained consciousness, a nurse explained to me who I was, where I was, and why I was there. During the following days, she turned those statements into questions, which I answered according to what she had told me. I remember that one wall of my room was covered with cards from OP churches and other churches and individuals all over the country. I rejoiced in the visits of Sharon and our eight-year-old son Joe, and of many church members and other pastors and dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I learned that our dear friend Jessica Hanna was journaling my story on Caring Bridge (www.caringbridge.org/visit/dandillard/journal) and that many people were praying for me. Day by day, God was answering those prayers.

The Lord laid it on my heart to pray for and encourage the staff, and to talk to them about Jesus. Many were believers in Christ, and most of the others were open and willing to listen. I also handed out a lot of copies of the gospel of John.

I remember my first steps with the help of one of my physical therapists. She said that in my condition those few steps were like climbing Mt. Everest! The first time I walked with a walker out of my room and across the hall, practically the whole staff came and watched and cheered!

Another milestone was on November 30, when one of my surgeons removed the external fixator that held my pelvis bone together—and it held! Then, on December 12, staff members gave me a farewell party; it was time to leave my “home” at St. Charles. I will never forget the wonderful doctors, nurses, physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), and other staff at St. Charles. They were God’s agents of healing to me, and I thank the Lord for them!

That day began a monthlong stay at the Bend Transitional Center. The nurses, therapists, and other staff there were also wonderful, and they helped me very much. Finally it was time to come home on January 9. With the help of my PT and my OT, I learned how to climb the stairs to our bedroom and shower and how to do other things around the house.

It is so good to be home at last with Sharon and Joe! My dear wife is the hero of this story. While I was in a coma, she stayed by my side and prayed night and day, not knowing whether I would survive—or what I would be like, if I did. Her unfailing love and faithfulness is a powerful witness of our Lord Jesus to me.

Dan and Sharon Dillard with their son, Joe

On the Lord’s Day, January 12, our family went to Grace Church. We were late, and we tried to sneak in quietly. But someone saw us, and everyone turned around and clapped and cheered! What a wonderful “welcome home” to church! The next Lord’s Day, I resumed my preaching ministry from my wheelchair. I used Romans 8:28–29 as my text, praising God for his gracious, sovereign working of all things for our good, to make us more like Christ.

During my absence, our elder, Dick Dodson, having the whole burden of leadership thrust on him in a crisis situation, faithfully and effectively led the congregation. The people responded by doing whatever needed to be done, plus very generously ministering to my family. I thank God for Dick and our dear brothers and sisters and for all their help to us!

We were also greatly helped by the Presbytery of the Northwest, which appointed the Rev. Martin Emmrich to be our ministerial advisor and John Hitt as an additional elder. A number of pastors and elders supplied our pulpit, along with elder Dick and Chad Baxter. The visiting pastors also ministered to me and my family in the hospital. What an incredible blessing from heaven their visits were! The Presbytery also provided generous financial help, which we greatly appreciate!

It has also been a great comfort to know that Orthodox Presbyterian congregations across America have been praying for us, and to receive many communications of encouragement from them.

In addition, a number of local pastors ministered greatly to Sharon and me, including the pastor of the church that oversees the Christian school where she teaches. Many from the churches and from the school staff came to pray with Sharon during my surgeries. The steady stream of dear brothers and sisters who came to visit was living water to Sharon and me!

We know that my accident was part of God’s plan, and that he causes all things to work together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his purpose, which is to conform us to Christ (cf. Rom. 8:28–30). It is extremely helpful to know this and to trust that that is what God is doing. Although it is not what I would have chosen, through the pain and suffering, along with joy and healing, God is wonderfully blessing us and many others.

Only the triune God of love and grace can do such wonders! We try to use all these experiences to point others to him. Our story gets the attention of some people who listen. May they come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing have eternal life in his name (cf. John 20:31).

The author is the pastor of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Bend, Ore.

Christian Education

Reformed Worship: Introducing Glen Clary

Patricia E. Clawson

A book that Glen Clary read a decade ago in seminary first sparked his interest in Reformed worship. This spring, Clary will share what has become his passion for Reformed worship as the newest instructor for the Ministerial Training Institute of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. MTIOPC provides seminary-quality courses for pastors, men who are licensed to preach, those under care of presbyteries, and elders. The courses are designed to help these men enhance their ministries in the OPC. Clary is the newest faculty member of MTIOPC, which is overseen by the Committee on Christian Education through its Subcommittee on Ministerial Training.

As a student at Westminster Theological Seminary, Clary read Worship Reformed according to Scripture, by Hughes Oliphant Old. “The book fascinated me, and kindled a desire in me to dig deeper into the subject of Reformed worship,” he said. While leading worship as pastor of Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey, he became more aware of the central role it plays in the pastoral ministry. When the OPC’s Directory for the Public Worship of God was being revised, he was exposed to its riches while taking Larry Wilson’s MTIOPC class on Reformed worship—the one he will now be teaching. Questions about worship prompted him to contact and eventually meet weekly with Dr. Old. This led him to pursue a Doctor of Ministry under Dr. Old at the Institute for Reformed Worship at Erskine Seminary. He is currently writing his dissertation while serving as associate pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in Pflugerville, Texas.

Mary and Hughes Oliphant Old (seated) with (from the left): Talitha, Gracie, Cathe (mom), Sophia, Josie (baby), Ariel, Jesse, Glen, and Samuel Clary

Students who enroll in Clary’s Spring 2015 course should gain a deeper understanding of the biblical and theological foundations and history of Reformed worship. “This will help equip them to plan services of worship and lead their congregations in worship that is in accordance with Scripture and our denominational standards,” said Clary. “I have seen firsthand how this can transform the nature of a congregation’s worship, and have seen congregations grow in their desire to worship the Lord with reverence and awe.”

This course will equip pastors in ways not often offered in seminary. While seminary professors teach how to interpret and proclaim Scripture and the theology of the sacraments, they teach far less about how reading Scripture and preaching is an act of worship, how to hold baptismal or Communion services, the role of psalmody or hymnody in worship, or emphasize prayer, according to Clary.

“There is a tremendous need for serious study of Christian worship in the Reformed church, and this class is a good place to start,” said Clary. “It will benefit seasoned ministers who may still be wrestling with some issues regarding Reformed worship or who may be facing difficult situations in their own congregations in matters of worship.” Elders who help oversee worship and often help to establish the worship practices in the local church also will benefit from the course.

When the class starts in February, students will have reading and a brief written assignment each week until the three-day Intensive Training in May. “This is crucial preparatory work for the intensive training class,” said Clary. “The more the students are able to read and digest the material prior to intensive training, the better it will be in terms of class discussion.”

For Clary, “The chief end of the church is to serve the glory of God by worshipping him in Spirit and truth. Nothing can be more important than the worship of God.”

Congratulations

The Shorter Catechism has been recited by:

• Hans Mininger, New Covenant Community Church, Joliet, IL

• Anastasia Mininger, New Covenant Community Church, Joliet, IL

• Grace Wang, Providence OPC, Temecula, CA

Foreign Missions

The Grace of God in Our Lives and Work

James D. Knox, M.D.

On July 16, 2014, our son Eoin (pronounced “YO-in”) Daniel Knox was born. “Eoin” is the Gaelic version of “John.” While we very much enjoy Scottish things, the importance of the name Eoin lies in its meaning: “Jehovah is gracious.”

Interestingly enough, Jenny and I picked the name Eoin because we wanted to have a Bible name in the Gaelic language. It wasn’t until after Eoin was born that someone pointed out to us that Eoin means “Jehovah is gracious.” Ever since Eoin’s birth, we have been constantly reminded of God’s grace. His birth also reminds us to look at everything around us in terms of God’s grace, including the things on the mission field and the difficult things that have been going on around us.

James and Jenny Knox with son Eoin (born on July 16)

God’s grace was evident to us when we had to go to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh two days after Eoin’s birth. A birth is a very emotional time, so it was very difficult to have to be in the hospital with Eoin attached to IVs and monitors and undergoing all sorts of tests. This forced us to rely upon God’s grace, even though we just wanted to be out of the hospital. Truth be told, I am actually not a big fan of doctors and hospitals!

God’s grace sustains us when we are missing family and friends, and even when we have to say good-bye to so many people so many times. We are thankful for email, Skype, and cell phones, but it is still not easy for us to leave (both when leaving Uganda and when leaving the U.S.). We are thankful that God has shown such mercy to us that we have the hope of an eternal reunion with all of the saints in glory, when we are to be face-to-face with Christ our Savior. As someone once told me, each good-bye is one good-bye closer to the time when we no longer have to say good-bye to anyone.

God’s grace gives us comfort when unexpected events occur on the mission field. For example, having a missionary family or other friends leave Uganda is not easy. It sometimes makes me wonder whether or not I missed an opportunity to help or to serve. Another example is when someone with whom I have been working very closely (either in the clinic or just as a friend) disappoints me. Again, it makes me wonder if I missed an opportunity to say something, give a certain type of advice, or lead by example. Yet God continues to teach us, strengthen us, and guide us.

God’s grace gives us strength to serve at Akisyon a Yesu (“Compassion of Jesus”) Presbyterian Clinic in Nakaale, Karamoja, Uganda. It is often very difficult to work here. Delivering a premature infant who dies within minutes of birth, saying that there is nothing else that I can do from a medical perspective to a patient who probably has cancer, or telling the mother of a child who has been bitten by a cobra that there is no medical way to treat the child (and then watching the child die)—these are a few examples in which my medical training or the supplies that we have available in the clinic are not able to help these patients. It is sometimes difficult for me to see how God’s grace is at work.

And yet in many ways it is a wonderful work, and the Lord clearly shows his grace at work. While my medical knowledge and our clinic supplies are limited, God’s power is infinite. Prayer is powerful. God’s Word is powerful. We are able to pray with the families of the patients. We have delivered wonderful little babies. We have been able to do procedures like draining an abscess in someone’s hand, which meant that he did not have to figure out how to get all the way to a city and pay the high hospital fees. We have been able to take pictures of skin diseases, send them to a dermatologist in the U.S., and then be able to treat these patients. We are thankful for the many ways in which God provides for our work here, and the many ways in which he clearly and graciously shows his hand at work, using our limited knowledge and supplies to heal many patients.

Jim Knox, M.D., at work at the clinic in Karamoja

In addition to clear examples of God’s grace at work in the lives of our patients, his grace in the clinic is also seen through our clinic staff. Let me tell the stories of two of our staff members: Ajwang Clementinah (Tinah) and Locoro (pronounced Lō-chō-rō) Jolly Moses.

Tinah is a Labworian woman (from a small tribe northwest of Karamoja) who started working for us in January 2013. She is the wife of Logiel Mark, a former employee of ours who is currently in clinical officer (similar to nurse practitioner) school. She did nursing training at St. Kizito Hospital in Matany, the Catholic hospital to which we refer most of our patients. The nursing school there is excellent, and this training is clearly evident in Tinah’s work. She is one of the most diligent workers that we have ever had in our clinic. She has much experience, and she exemplifies a servant’s heart. She has helped us to learn how to better care for the family of a patient who has died. She has helped deliver several babies in our clinic. She sees the female patients who would prefer not having a male clinician. She has taught us how to improve our hygiene and cleanliness in the clinic. She is even willing to do the cleaning in the clinic itself. She loves to teach students who visit our clinic. We are so thankful to have her in our clinic from these medical perspectives. In addition, we are thrilled to have her with us because she is a communicant member of our church. She faithfully attends all services, and she actively participates in clinic staff devotions. What a blessing she is to us in the clinic, as well as to the people of Nakaale!

Locoro Jolly Moses is a Karimojong man from a town about forty-five minutes from Nakaale. He is a laboratory assistant by training. He showed up at our clinic one day, stating that he was looking for a job. His father had passed away, so his mother had been working to support him. She raised him in an Anglican church, the Church of Uganda. He went to laboratory school in Kampala before returning to Karamoja to look for a job. At the time, we were not looking for additional staff to work in our clinic. We were about to send our dear friend Elizabeth Kyalo, our laboratory technician, back to Kenya so that she could pursue further education, but we had just hired a man from Mbale to replace her in the lab. However, at the last minute, this man was unable to come to work in our clinic. It was as if God was denying all of the options that we were pursuing in hiring for our lab, but Locoro was still available and eager for work. So we interviewed him and decided to hire him. Locoro began working with us in April 2014. Although we were a bit apprehensive to hire Locoro because he was not trained at the same level as Elizabeth, he has proven to be a wonderful gift from the Lord! He has been very enthusiastic about the work. He is very eager to learn, and he works very hard. He has also been enthusiastic in his desire to learn better English and to work out with several members of the mission. He shows up faithfully each morning if we go for a run or do some kind of workout together. And, most importantly, he has been faithful in attending Nakaale Presbyterian Church. What a blessing he is to the clinic, to the community, and to the church.

We definitely feel God’s grace as we consider our present staff members (and I am only mentioning two of them), as well as when we consider everything else. Thank you for your prayers for us. Please keep praying!

Please pray for the following specific items:

• That the Lord would bless Eoin as he grows in the Lord, and that he would keep Eoin and the rest of our family safe in Uganda.

• That we would be encouraged to look toward our eternal hope in heaven with Christ and all of his saints.

• That we would always be reminded of the power of prayer and the fact that God is sovereign, even when difficult things occur on the mission field.

• That we would always be godly leaders and examples in the clinic.

• That the Lord would continue to provide the right staff for our clinic, which may even require more staff in the future (especially since Jenny will no longer be working full-time in the clinic).

• That the Lord would continue to bless the work and service of Tinah and the work and spiritual growth of Locoro.

• That Nakaale Presbyterian Church will grow through the work of the clinic and the rest of the mission.

• That the entire Orthodox Presbyterian Uganda Mission will see and be encouraged by the grace of God in the work.

Thank you all for praying!

Home Missions

Growth in Minnesota

Richard R. Gerber

Immanuel OPC in Andover, Minnesota, began to be developed at an unlikely time.

In the spring of 2013, Pastor Jim Hoekstra began serving as the interim pastor of Mission OPC in St. Paul. Pastor John Shaw had accepted a call to be the general secretary of the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. As the search for the next pastor was under way, the session wanted to care for the congregation and explore the possibility of a church plant somewhere north of the Twin Cities.

From the inception of Mission OPC, the idea of planting other churches nearby had been fostered and was part of the church’s prayers. But during a time of changing pastoral leadership, you wouldn’t expect a congregation to be exploring the possibility of a daughter church plant. But in the providence of God, the man available to serve as interim pastor, Jim Hoekstra, was an experienced OP church planter. He had labored on two previous church planting fields in Wisconsin—New Berlin and Cedarburg.

Fellowship time at Immanuel OPC in Andover, Minn., after a Bible study (at far left: Pastor Jim Hoekstra)

As Jim explored the north suburbs of the Twin Cities, Andover became the focal point. This target area northwest of the Twin Cities has 280,000 people. There is one church for every 3,000 people, but only half the population identifies with a church. Half of those who are churched are Roman Catholic. One quarter are Lutheran. Immanuel OPC makes the fourth Reformed congregation in the area.

Forty-five percent of the families in Andover proper have children under eighteen years of age at home. The area is almost rural. Many of the families seem to be seeking a utopian community. One of the aims of Immanuel Church is to reach these children and their parents, and help them find the ultimate heaven on earth.

A weekly Bible study of 1 Peter began in July 2013. Five households from Mission OPC were the initial group. By the time worship began in November, when a new pastor arrived at Mission, other families had joined the group. They came through personal invitation and outreach letters. Worship is held in the facilities of a local Seventh-day Adventist congregation. It is a fine facility and is available all day Sunday for Immanuel’s use.

The congregation has been heavily engaged in outreach. The people distributed 1,200 brochures door-to-door. A mission team of young people came and distributed another 3,000. Postcard-size invitations to the Christmas services were handed to acquaintances. Letters went out to the mailing list of a Christian magazine. There have been Friend Sundays and community picnics. At the Andover Family Fest, 250 cards about the church were handed out from the church’s booth, and the names and contact information of sixty-five people were gathered.

There is also a website crafted with non-Christians and evangelical Christians in view. Pastor Hoekstra’s sermons are available on SermonAudio.com.

Outreach at a local festival in Andover, Minn.

God has providentially added to the church. A man from China walked in to the church building following the worship service one Sunday. He was invited to stay for the fellowship meal. A friendship began that day. He is now in a class, preparing to profess his faith in Christ and receive baptism.

Please pray for Immanuel OPC in Andover, Minnesota. Pray that God would grant good fruit from the outreach already carried out, as well as from those planned over the next few months. Pray that the people would not be disheartened. Even with all the outreach efforts, only a small number of visitors have come to worship. Praise the Lord with Jim and Bonnie for his kindness and provision for them. Bonnie has a fine job at her university alma mater. They are grateful for the opportunity to plant another church. Pray that the Lord would continue to give them joy in serving him.

Immanuel is thankful to the Lord for the support of its mother church. The mission work is prayed for every Sunday from the pulpit at Mission OPC; one or two families visit every month; one ruling elder is present at Immanuel almost every week.

The Lord Directs

Richard R. Gerber

Chris and Megan Hartshorn are at home in Southern California and in church planting. Anaheim Hills Presbyterian Church is their third church plant, though their first in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Their life together as husband and wife started while Chris was planting a church in East Harlem, New York City, for Calvary Chapel. From the hustle, secularism, and press of life in New York they moved to Lawrence, Kansas, to plant another church. There in the Bible Belt everyone claimed to be a Christian, and the pace of life felt like it was very slow. People were happy to sit on their porch and talk.

Such radical changes were part of life for Chris and Megan. Megan had served as a missionary in El Salvador. Chris had not grown up as a Christian. The reaction of people from his past, who find him through social media, is, “I can’t believe you’re a Christian.”

As Chris preached through the Bible at his first two church plants, the Holy Spirit brought about another change. His theology began to be oriented toward a Reformed understanding of the Bible. This led to another relocation.

Resigning his ministry position, Chris headed to Southern California with his family. Greater Los Angeles was where Chris and Megan had grown up. But they went farther south to Escondido for Chris to study at Westminster Seminary California. The Hartshorn family settled in at Harvest OPC in San Marcos. Pastor Mark Schroeder began to mentor Chris.

Being back in Southern California has been a great blessing for the four Hartshorn children. Their grandparents are nearby. Being back has also meant that Chris could meet face-to-face with some of the people who marveled that he had become a Christian. Soon Chris was leading an OP Bible study in Fullerton. By God’s grace, a core group for a new church gathered.

As Chris graduated from Westminster in May, he was called to be the organizing pastor of this mission work. The group had moved from Fullerton to the edge of Orange County and is reaching into Riverside County.

Fellowship after worship at Anaheim Hills Presbyterian Church in Anaheim, Calif.

People are coming to church who knew Chris as an unbeliever. Some of them are coming to know the Savior. Two have professed faith in Christ and been baptized. Several more are preparing to profess their faith. The focus of Anaheim Hills’s ministry has been the Word, the sacraments, and prayer.

Some families are coming to worship from thirty miles away in Corona, where there is no Reformed church. A Bible study is beginning there. Chris’s conviction is that a local church should be local. People ought to be able to stay close to home for church. So his hope is to see another church started in Corona.

Another Bible study has been started in Pasadena, near Providence Christian College.

Anaheim Hills is a very expensive area, but the Lord has provided a good meeting facility at a very reasonable price. The mission work meets at the East Anaheim Community Center. Beside space for worship, there is room for Sunday school classes and a nursery.

Please pray that the Lord would continue the work he has begun of saving the lost and edifying his people. Pray, too, that he would raise up leaders for this new church.

Home Missions Today

For up-to-date Home Missions news and prayer updates, e-mail HomeMissionsToday@opc.org. New editions: November 5, 19.

Stewardship

Needed: A Strong Thank Offering

Each year the Worldwide Outreach ministries of the OPC (Foreign Missions, Home Missions, and Christian Education) rely upon the generous support of the members and friends of the OPC, not only in regular contributions during the year, but also in the Thank Offering. In this way we help to carry out the Great Commission to spread the gospel.

Thank Offering packages were sent to OP churches in mid-October. They contained the Thank Offering poster, bulletin inserts, and remittance envelopes. If your church has not received this package by the time you are reading this, or if you need additional material, please contact Jan Gregson at the OPC Administrative Office (215/830-0900).

The bulletin inserts are intended to be distributed on consecutive Lord’s Days prior to the collection of the Thank Offering. We suggest that churches use them from October 26 to November 16, with a collection on November 23. Some churches collect the Thank Offering on consecutive Sundays, throughout November, or at a special Thanksgiving service.

Checks collected in local offerings should be made out to your local church and designated for the Thank Offering.

If you are unable to participate in the Thank Offering at your local congregation, this issue of New Horizons includes a remittance envelope. Using that envelope, you can mail in your check, made out to “The Orthodox Presbyterian Church” and designated “Thank Offering.”

As the chart below indicates, giving to Worldwide Outreach has fallen off significantly. That means we need a strong Thank Offering this year, as well as continued regular giving, to keep our denominational ministries financially healthy, heading into the new year. During the recent years of economic crisis, we did a great job meeting out budget. We can do the same as the economy improves.

Requests for 2015

The 2014 General Assembly of the OPC determined to make the following requests for the financial support of denominational ministries in 2015 (generally to be made through individual congregations):

Worldwide Outreach: $4,000,000. This averages out to $178 per communicant member. Smaller churches may not be able to give this much, so larger churches should give more than the average.

Thank Offering giving at the end of the year goes to Worldwide Outreach. Ideally, it takes these missions and education ministries beyond the budgeted goal.

GA Operation Fund: Churches are requested to give $20 per communicant member.

GA Travel Fund: Churches are requested to give $12 per communicant member.

Diaconal Ministries General Fund: Churches are requested to give $25 per communicant member.

Send contributions to: The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Rd., Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090. Checks should be made payable to The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Contributions are credited to Worldwide Outreach and support all its ministries, unless specifically designated.

Prayer Calendar

November

1. Brian and Dorothy Wingard, South Africa (on furlough). Pray for safe travel and good visits in OP churches. / Jeremiah and Elizabeth Montgomery, State College, Pa. Pray that God would bless Resurrection OPC as she becomes a particular congregation. / Andrew (and Samantha) Fortenberry, yearlong intern at Trinity OPC in Hatboro, Pa.

2. Robert and Christy Arendale, Houston, Tex. Pray for the continued development in the ministry of Cornerstone OPC. / Heero and Anya Hacquebord, L’viv, Ukraine. Pray that many will visit the church in L’viv and hear the preaching of the Word. / Pray for stated clerk Ross Graham as he prepares for printing the 2015 OPC directory of churches.

3. Mr. and Mrs. F., Asia. Pray for Mr. F.’s witness to the people at the university where he teaches. / Mike and Katy Myers, Hartwell, Ga. Pray that God would bless Heritage Presbyterian Church with additional families. / Jeffrey (and Maryfrances) Carter, yearlong intern at Calvary OPC in Glenside, Pa.

Mr. and Mrs. F. and family

4. Jay and Andrea Bennett, Neon, Ky. Pray that the Lord would bless Neon Reformed Presbyterian Church’s outreach and evangelism efforts. / Pray for our missionary associates in Asia in their teaching responsibilities. / New Horizons managing editor and publications coordinator Jim Scott.

5. Mr. and Mrs. M., Asia (on furlough). Pray for Mr. M. as he reports on his labors to OP congregations. / Home Missions associate general secretary Dick Gerber. / Diaconal Ministries administrator David Nakhla. Pray for the diaconal representatives from the seventeen presbyteries as they gather in San Antonio for the D17 Summit on Thursday and Friday.

6. Tom and Martha Albaugh, Pittsburgh, Pa. Pray for continued development in the ministry of Redeemer OPC Mission. / Tentmaker missionary T. L. L., Asia. Pray for renewed strength to face the challenges and responsibilities of her administrative position at her university. / Louis (and Lizette) Cloete, yearlong intern at Redeemer OPC Mission in Pittsburgh, Pa.

7. Pray for Ray and Michele Call, Montevideo, Uruguay, as they adjust to their new living and working situation on the field. / Greg and Stella Hoadley, Fargo, N.Dak. Pray that God would save local families and bring them to worship at Grace OPC. / New Horizons cover designer Chris Tobias and proofreader Sarah Pederson.

8. Christopher and Ann Malamisuro, Cincinnati, Ohio. Pray that visitors to Good Shepherd OPC will desire to join. / Mark and Jeni Richline, Montevideo, Uruguay. Pray for wisdom in developing strategies for ministry. / Pray for Danny Olinger, Christian Education general secretary, as he edits New Horizons.

9. Church in the Horn of Africa. Pray for the safety of believers who face persecution in this part of the world. / Christopher and Della Chelpka, Tucson, Ariz. Pray that visitors to Covenant OPC will desire to join in communicant fellowship. / Stephen Pribble, OPC.org senior technical associate.

10. Carlos and Diana Cruz, Ponce, P.R. Pray for new visitors to come to Mission de Ponce, OPC, and for opportunities to reach the lost. / Eric and Dianna Tuininga, Mbale, Uganda. Remember Eric’s teaching ministry at Knox Theological College. / Pray that congregations will prayerfully consider having a summer or yearlong intern in 2015.

11. Bob and Martha Wright, Nakaale, Uganda. Pray for Martha as she directs the Mission’s preschool program for Karimojong children. / Brian and Sara Chang, Cottonwood, Ariz. Pray for Verde Valley Reformed Chapel as they seek to bring people under the ministry of the Word of God. / Jan Gregson, assistant to the finance director.

12. Jonathan and Kristin Moersch, Capistrano Beach, Calif. Pray that Trinity Presbyterian Church will find a suitable facility to meet on Sunday evenings and throughout the week. / David and Sunshine Okken, Nakaale, Uganda. Pray for Bible studies held each week in various locations. / Jeff (and Diane) Downs, yearlong intern at Covenant OPC in Orland Park, Ill.

13. Pray for our missionary associates in Uganda, as they assist in the Mission’s ministry activities. / Pray for Lacy Andrews, regional home missionary for the Presbytery of the Southeast, as he visits mission works and churches throughout the presbytery. / Air Force chaplain C. Phillip (and Melanie) Hollstein III.

14. Bill and Sessie Welzien, Key West, Fla. Pray for Keys Presbyterian Church, that the preaching of the Word will bring edification and conversion. / James and Jenny Knox, M.D. and R.N., Nakaale, Uganda. Pray for guidance and wisdom in the daily decisions they make. / Benjamin (and Emily) Gordon, summer intern at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, Va.

15. Al and Laurie Tricarico, Nakaale, Uganda. Pray for growth in numbers and spiritual maturity at Nakaale Presbyterian Church. / Jim and Tricia Stevenson, Tulsa, Okla. Pray that God would bless the officer training class at Providence OPC. / Pat Clawson, editorial assistant and CCE secretary.

16. Joseph and Carla Fowler, Gastonia, N.C. Pray for continued growth and unity within the congregation of Reformation OPC. / Ethiopian Reformed Presbyterian Church. Pray for those providing leadership in the church. / Pray for the work of the Psalter-Hymnal Committee as it meets in Holland, Mich., tomorrow through Wednesday.

Todd and Julie Wagenmaker

17. Pray for Foreign Missions general secretary Mark Bube as he provides counsel and encouragement to our missionaries. / Todd and Julie Wagenmaker, St. Louis, Mo. Pray that the people of Gateway OPC will continue to observe all that Christ commanded. / Air Force chaplain Cornelius (and Deidre) Johnson.

18. Home Missions staff administrator Sean Gregg. / Pray for Foreign Missions associate general secretary Douglas Clawson as he visits with and encourages our missionaries in Uruguay this week. / Matthew (and Trina) Patton, yearlong intern at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Wheaton, Ill.

19. Pray for Foreign Missions administrative assistant Linda Posthuma and secretary Abigail Yates. / Tony and Mica Garbarino, Morgan Hill, Calif. Pray that God would provide an accompanist for Providence Presbyterian Church. / Part-time staff accountant Doug Watson.

20. Kim and Barbara Kuhfuss, Eau Claire, Wis. Pray that God would provide Providence Reformed Church with outreach opportunities at a nearby university. / Pray for our retired missionaries Betty Andrews, Greet Rietkerk, Young and Mary Lou Son, and Fumi Uomoto. / James Jordan, yearlong intern at Church of the Covenant in Hackettstown, N.J.

21. Ben and Melanie Westerveld, Quebec, Canada. Pray for St-Marc’s efforts to reach out to their community. / Chris and Megan Hartshorn, Anaheim Hills, Calif. Pray that Anaheim Hills Presbyterian Church will be constant in prayer, seeking God’s ministry on the church’s ministry and development. / Marvin Padgett, executive director of Great Commission Publications.

22. Eric and Donna Hausler, Naples, Fla. Pray for the Lord to provide a more permanent meeting place and mission station for Naples Presbyterian Church (OPC). / Affiliated missionaries Jerry and Marilyn Farnik, Prague, Czech Republic. Pray for those attending the youth meetings held on Saturday evenings. / Army chaplain Earl (and Susan) Vanderhoff.

23. Associate missionaries Octavius and Marie Delfils, Haiti. Pray for the spiritual growth of the students attending the Wednesday theology class. / Drew and Sonya Adcock, Williamsport, Pa. Pray that the Lord would raise up deacons at Omega OPC. / Charlene Tipton, database administrator.

24. Joshua and Jessica Lyon, Carson, Calif. Pray for continued growth and spiritual development within the congregation of Grace OPC. / Ben and Heather Hopp, Haiti. Pray for young and godly leaders to be trained for leadership in the church. / Matthew (and Melinda) Cole, yearlong intern at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Bellmawr, N.J.

25. Pray for the labors of missionary associates Amanda McCrina and Akiko Oshimizu, Sendai, Japan, and Mary York, Prague, Czech Republic. / Mika and Christina Edmondson, Grand Rapids, Mich. Pray for a faithful and fruitful Sunday school program at New City Fellowship. / Pray for David Haney, director of finance and planned giving for the Committee on Coordination.

26. Ben and Sarah Miller, Syosset (formerly Huntington), N.Y. Give thanks to the Lord for the way he has blessed Trinity Church financially. / Cal and Edie Cummings, Sendai, Japan. Pray that those participating in activities at the Nozomi Center would respond to the hope of the gospel. / Janet Birkmann, Diaconal Ministries administrative assistant.

27. Woody and Laurie Lauer, Numazu, Japan. Pray for the witness to unsaved family members of believers at Kita Numazu Chapel. / Everett and Kimberly Henes, Hillsdale, Mich. Pray that visitors to Hillsdale OPC will desire to join in communicant fellowship. / Kathy Bube, Loan Fund administrator.

28. Pray for Larry and Kalynn Oldaker, regional home missionary for the Presbytery of Ohio, in his many travels as he meets with groups who express interest in the OPC. / Affiliated missionaries Craig and Ree Coulbourne, Urayasu, Japan. Pray for the new women who have begun attending Ree’s Bible study. / Robert (and Adelinda) Canode, yearlong intern at Providence Presbyterian Church in Pflugerville, Tex.

29. Affiliated missionary Linda Karner, Japan, asks prayer for wisdom as she serves as headmistress of the school where she teaches. / Home Missions general secretary John Shaw. / Greg Reynolds, Ordained Servant editor, and Diane Olinger, proofreader.

30. Jonathan and Lauryn Shishko, Queens, N.Y. Pray that the Lord would add several new families to Reformation Presbyterian Church. / Kaz and Katie Yaegashi, Yamagata, Japan. Pray that seekers and visitors at Yamagata Chapel will believe and be baptized. / Army chaplain Paul (and Mary) Berghaus.

News

In Memoriam
Levon Melkonian

Richard C. Miller

Many elders serve only one congregation. A few serve several. But Levon Diran Melkonian served the Lord all over the world before settling in Northern California. Born on October 14, 1929, in Larnaca, Cyprus, the son of Armenian parents, he developed a passion for kingdom service at an early age.

After graduating from Bob Jones University, he went to work for the Navigators in India, where he met and married Ellen Bartholdy, a missionary from Denmark. From there it was on to Beirut, Lebanon, and then Modesto, California. There they became part of Grace OPC when the Rev. Thomas S. Champness, Jr., was pastor, followed by the Rev. Rollin P. Keller.

Levon and Ellen Melkonian

From there it was on to New Covenant OPC in South San Francisco, where he worked with the Rev. Carl E. Erickson. When a mission work was begun in Eureka, he was on the oversight committee, working with the Rev. Andrew J. Preston. Later he worked with the Rev. Kevin W. Van Der Linden in Roseville, California, and was designated elder emeritus.

Then he and Ellen moved to Denver, where they were members of Park Hill Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Matthew Kingsbury. His final move was to the church triumphant on August 20, 2014.

In the Presbytery of Northern California and Nevada, where he was ordained and served as a ruling elder, he was beloved and respected for his sage advice. He was chairman of the Foreign Missions Committee, spearheading biennial foreign missions conferences.

Update

Ministers

• The ministerial relationship between David T. Brack, who is retiring, and Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church in Amarillo, Tex., was dissolved by the Presbytery of the Southwest on September 30.

• Scott R. Huber, formerly pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, Tex., having been received into the PCA on August 5, was removed from the roll of the Presbytery of the Southwest.

• Recently retired Army chaplain Christopher H. Wisdom became the vice president and professor of practical theology at Erskine Theological Seminary in Due West, S.C., on September 1.

Milestones

• Grace Haney, 86, the widow of OP minister George Haney, died on October 1 after a massive stroke.

Correction

Murray Schneider (October issue, p. 9) was raised in America in a family of Jewish-Russian ancestry.

Reviews

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief, by John M. Frame. P&R, 2013. Hardback, 1,280 pages, list price $49.99. Reviewed by OP pastor Jeffery A. Landis.

John Frame, a former OP (and now PCA) minister, who is currently a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, has written a long-anticipated systematic theology that presents a conservative Reformed perspective on the teachings of Scripture. Frame’s volume, like his other writings, is characterized by clarity, warmth, humility, and depth. Frame displays that rare ability to discuss profound truths in ways that are accessible to most readers.

Frame is a biblicist in the most positive sense of the word. His writings are filled with Scripture. One reason why the volume is so large (almost 1,300 pages) is that he quotes Scripture abundantly and does not merely cite references. In arranging his material, Frame has employed God’s lordship as his central theme. He understands that the Lord is the central character in the biblical story and that divine lordship is the central theme of Scripture.

Some may be put off by Frame’s nontraditional approach. His triperspectivalism is well known and there are, according to the index, 114 triads that he presents in his book. Even if you do not appreciate (or always agree with) Frame’s triads, they do not detract from his Reformed presentation. Another nontraditional aspect of Systematic Theology is its subject order. Most systematic theologies begin with the doctrine of the Word of God. Frame begins with the doctrine of God and focuses first on miracles. Neither of these detracts from the value of the volume.

Some of the material stands out for special commendation. His three-part section on “The Biblical Story” is a very beneficial way to begin the volume. This section helps give the big picture for the details that follow. In addition, the chapter on Christ’s deity is also useful. Frame defines theology as “the application of Scripture, by persons, to every area of life” (p. 8). His belief that knowledge always involves application is seen, for example, in sections on the centrality of preaching and on why we ought to pray.

Surprisingly, after reading this entire volume, this reviewer wished for more. Specifically, more material in the latter sections of the book would have been helpful. After Frame deals with the subjects on which he has previously written extensively (doctrine of God, doctrine of the Word, and the doctrine of the knowledge of God), the chapters become less full and detailed. Part 10, “The Doctrine of the Church,” could have especially used more detail. The section on the ordo salutis, an area usually covered in great detail by Reformed writers, consists of only eighty-three pages.

There are a few disappointments. For example, his treatment of Norman Shepherd’s views on justification will appear weak to some. After reading his section on millennial views, this reviewer wishes Frame had defended his postmillennial view in more detail. However, the disappointments are few.

Overall, Frame’s work is worthy of your time to read it. If the size seems overwhelming to you, try reading a chapter a day. It will be two and a half months well spent.

Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament, by David Murray. Thomas Nelson, 2013. Paperback, 246 pages, list price $16.99. Reviewed by OP minister Lawrence Semel.

If you are not yet persuaded of Christ-centered interpretation and preaching of the Old Testament, consider reading this book.

In the first part of his book, David Murray relates his own struggle to understand the purpose of the Old Testament and how to preach from it. Even after seminary, it was not until he was asked to teach Old Testament at his denominational seminary that he was driven to search the Scriptures for answers.

The answer to his questions came first from the words of Jesus to the two men on the road to Emmaus: “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). According to Jesus, the Old Testament was about him. And this is confirmed by the apostles John (in John 1:17), Peter (in 1 Peter 1:10–12), and Paul (in Gal. 3–4 and 2 Cor. 3).

After Christ left the two men on the road, they talked about how their hearts burned within them while Jesus explained the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:32). So in the second part of his book, Murray invites the reader to join him in some “spiritual heartburn.” He shows in detail and with plenty of examples his ten simple ways to discover Jesus in the Old Testament.

Murray discovers the covenant of grace at the heart of the Old Testament. And wherever there is grace, there is Christ. Grace can be extended to the Old Testament saints only because Christ is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Christ is not forced into the Old Testament story. You find him there because he is there, in all parts of the Old Testament: in the Law, in the books of history, in the Prophets, and in the books of poetry. Jesus is on every page—yes, in shadowy form, but a shadow always indicates the presence of light.

Among the many insights in this book, Murray helps to identify types and interpret them in a way that unfolds their Christ-centered beauty. One of Murray’s passions is to restore a sane, spiritually edifying typology to the church (p. 137).

Murray quotes from a wide variety of authors and from the Westminster Confession of Faith in support of his thesis. Hodge believed that “the Old Testament Scriptures are intelligible only when understood as predicting and prefiguring Christ” (p. 35). “[Jonathan] Edwards regarded Jesus and His redemption not only as the climax of redemptive history but also as an integral, constant part of all redemptive history” (p. 106).

Murray has succeeded in writing a book that is helpful to believers in general. It is well written, easy to understand, and filled with helpful illustrations and biblical examples. There are discussion questions for each chapter. All of these things make the book an excellent choice for study by various groups within the church.

Tough Questions about the Bible, by Joel R. Beeke. CF4Kids, 2013. Paperback, 128 pages, list price $8.99. Reviewed by OP pastor K. Dale Collison.

When I received this book to review, I thought, “Another book dealing with tough questions.” As I looked through the table of contents, I was not impressed. As I began skimming in various places, I was not impressed. I tried to find an introduction or explanation for why Joel Beeke wrote the book. There is none. I wondered for what audience he intended the book. I asked a few friends what they thought. Without fail, they said the book was for children—that was clear from the cover.

But at children of what age is the book directed? I looked at the endorsements. The first endorser mentions his seven- and ten-year-old children. The third one uses the word “children.” And the fourth refers to “young people.” So I am back to my question: at children of what age is the book directed? I stopped skimming and began reading.

There are a couple of places where Beeke seems to be writing for teens (especially question #56). But for the most part, I think he has in mind the ages of eight to twelve. However, there are some words and concepts mentioned that might cause trouble in understanding for this age group. (For the most part, though, he does a good job of explaining difficult things.)

I think this would be a good book to use in a family setting, reading it and then talking about what was read. Beeke gives many Bible references, which can be explored. He mostly uses the Heidelberg Catechism.

I must admit that I began reading this book with skepticism because so many books of this type have been published. However, I was very impressed with it. After many of the questions, he gives a call to repentance. That is a great plus. Does Beeke do it too often? I do not think so. The question of salvation and living an obedient life is of great importance. To have our children think about it is good—and good for us adults as well.

If you are looking for a book to read with your children that will help them understand some of those tough questions, I would recommend this one. It gives much help. And, as I already mentioned, it provides a continuous challenge: how is your heart? The author begins this challenge with the first question, and it continues throughout the book.

Life in Jesus: A Memoir of Mary Winslow, edited by Octavius Winslow. Reformation Heritage Books, 2013. Hardback, 576 pages, list price $30.00. Reviewed by OP member Susan Winslow.

This book, which recounts the life and letters of a godly woman, makes for edifying devotional reading for anyone interested in the mentoring example of an older sister in Christ. It would make a fine gift for a sister, daughter, or mother in the Lord.

Mary Winslow (1774–1854) was a woman with a “peculiar talent,” according to her son, Octavius—a gift for “counseling, succouring, and sympathizing with the perplexed, the feeble, and the tired of His family.” She saw this herself: “If the Lord has ever honoured me in any way by making use of me, it has been in comforting the comfortless, or in speaking a word to the tired and heavy-laden.” The many letters and diary entries written and preserved by Mary herself, and collated by her son, exemplify this. These constitute a large portion of this 550-page volume. They reveal an earnest Christian woman whose chief desire in life was to glorify the Lord Jesus in all circumstances.

Was a friend sick? Mary wrote, “How sorry I was to hear you continue so tired in body. Surely the Lord loves you too well to lay the weight of a feather upon you, were it not for some wise and loving purpose He has in view in preparing you for the full enjoyment of the glory He has gone to prepare for you.” Was an acquaintance bereaved of spouse or child or infant? Mary wrote, “I pray that you may be sustained and comforted of God. Jesus is very near. He is ordering all things for you. He does not willingly afflict us. It is to wean us from a dying world and from ourselves.”

Scripture was so familiar to Mary that it flowed naturally in her prose. Her tenderness and candor, interwoven with biblical truth, is lovely to behold. Her letters can be instructive to Christian women today as we encourage each other in the difficult circumstances God brings to each of us.

Mary’s life was checkered with many challenging providences. For example, when she preceded her husband in moving from England to America with their ten children, her young daughter died. On the day of her daughter’s burial, she received word that her husband had died. A widow with nine sons to raise in a new country, Mary understood by experience the pain of bereavement and the spiritual battle that accompanies such a loss. She sank into a valley of depression and wrote honestly about the experience—especially about God’s faithful deliverance in due course through the ministry of his people. Later in her life she wrote, “A thousand times have I thanked the Lord for all my trials and afflictions. I would not have been without them for worlds. They have been messengers of boundless love and mercy to me and mine.”

In addition to Mary’s diary entries and letters, Octavius inserts his own edifying commentary on theological issues as they arise in the context of the memoir.

Preaching? Simple Teaching on Simply Preaching, by Alec Motyer. Christian Focus, 2013. Paperback, 188 pages, list price $14.99. Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake, by Gary Millar and Phil Campbell. Matthias Media, 2013. Paperback, 168 pages, list price $16.99. Reviewed by OP pastor Stephen D. Doe.

In a day when preaching has fallen into confusion in many evangelical churches, these two books remind us of the importance of preaching. The Shorter Catechism, Q. 89, has a startling reminder that “the Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word [of God], an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation.” The authors of these books are committed to that kind of faithful ministry.

Alec Motyer writes out of a wealth of experience in both dealing with texts and communicating the truth of those texts to God’s people. He gently and humbly sets out both theory and lots of very practical ideas. He structures his approach around (1) examining the text, (2) analyzing the passage, (3) finding the orientation of the divine intent in the passage, (4) harvesting the fruit of one’s study, (5) determining how to present the biblical truth, and (6) seeking an application in keeping with the text’s intent.

Motyer puts it all in easy-to-understand terms, illustrated with both scriptural exposition and examples of how to and how not to preach. He includes ten appendixes of suggestions for devotional reading and meditation on passages and themes found in the Scriptures.

What is most noticeably missing in Motyer’s book, however, is a clear statement that each text should be grounded in its redemptive-historical place in Scripture. So, although Motyer would certainly want each sermon to proclaim Christ, the importance of determining the Christological center of each text is not well developed (but see p. 65). However, he often throws fresh light on a passage, making the book enjoyable and edifying to read.

Millar and Campbell have written a “fun” book to read. They are both considerably younger than Motyer. Both are associated with Queensland Theological College and Michelton Presbyterian Church in Queensland, Australia. They have a burden to make preaching “lively” and engaging.

They have drawn their title from the incident in Acts 20 where the young man Eutychus falls out of a window while the apostle Paul is preaching. They want to ensure that preachers in our day do not put people to sleep by failing to engage the congregation in the text being expounded. (Note that they would not charge the apostle with poor preaching!). They write about their own methodology for sermon preparation, but acknowledge that each preacher finds his own method.

An interesting feature is an appendix where they critique each another’s sermons, while a second appendix summarizes their ten tips for preachers. It is a useful book, with a Christ-centered and gospel-centered focus and lots of practical material from men who are deeply committed to preaching as one of the chief means the Lord uses to build his church.

Both books serve to remind both preachers and congregations that we live under the authority of the Word of God, and therefore that praying for our weekly worship services and the preaching are vital parts of our spiritual preparation for worship. And Alec Motyer reminds us, “The public minister of the Word has to be fashioned in the secret workshop of the Word. The minister must never cease to be an ‘ordinary believer’ humbly walking with God in the light of His Word” (p. 123). Both of these books will encourage preachers to do precisely that.

Announcements

Fall Women’s Retreat

November 7–8 • Syria, Virginia

• All women invited

• Theme: “Bringing the Gospel Home: Sharing the Gospel with Family, Friends, and Those Who Know Us Well”

• Speakers: Jennifer Glenn, Lucy Green, Emily Van Dixhoorn

• Practice turning conversations to the gospel in winsome ways

• Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, Va.

• Hosted by Grace OPC in Vienna, Va.

• Further information and registration: contact Emily Van Dixhoorn by November 6 at evandixhoorn@gmail.com

Positions Available

Pastor: To know Christ and to make him known is the mission of Calvary OPC in Cedar Grove, Wis. To learn more about us, go to calvarychurchcg.com. The session and search committee are seeking a new pastor. Candidates should be enthusiastic, have a good work ethic, be able to relate to all age levels, have a passion for preaching the gospel, and be willing to work with the session in resolving the many situations that arise in a congregation with approximately 300 members. Send replies to 136 Union Avenue, Cedar Grove, WI 53013.